Change of Fates: The Ultimate Mercenary
by SonicExeP
Summary: The third story in the Change of Fates saga. After Exe was captured by Infinite, Elise and Mephiles join the Resistance to save him. But something about Infinite makes the two realize a much sadder side to the masked jackal.
1. You may call me

"What are you going on about?" Mephiles said. "Who are you?"

"You may call me… Infinite" the masked man replied. "The Ultimate Mercenary. And that guy over there thinks he can fool me. I know very well that's Sonic the Hedgehog. Now stand back as I finally defeated him"

"That's not Sonic. Stay away from him!" Mephiles yelled. Infinite swung at Mephiles, sending him flying.

"MEPHILES!" Exe hollered. Infinite grabbed Exe by the collar, raising him up. Exe tried to fight back against Infinite but it proved to not work.

"You can't run from me any longer. Now come face me" Infinite said. Mephiles got up and tried to run after Exe and Infinite but suddenly they both disappeared without a trace.

"EXE!" Mephiles yelled. He just witnessed his husband being captured and there was nothing he could do to save. He knelt to the ground and felt all the tears run down his face.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" He yelled at the sky, covered in tears and grief. Exe is gone and he had no idea where he went.

"I need to warn Elise," Mephiles said. He made a run to the castle, still distraught from what just happened. He kicked open the door, scaring Elise.

"Oh my Solaris Mephiles you scared me" Elise said. "You and Exe were about to be the Kings of Soleanna"

"EXEGOTCAPTUREDBYAMASKEDMANANDNOWHEISPROBABLYDEAD" Mephiles said all at once.

"What?" Elise said. Mephiles was still panting from all the running.

"Exe…masked man… . Captured… " Mephiles said out of breath.

"Exe got captured by a masked man and then they disappeared and you don't know where they are?" Elise said. Mephiles nodded and fell to the ground, crying. Elise kneeled down and patted Mephiles on the head.

"It's okay. We'll search for him" Elise said.

"But how do we know where he is?" Mephiles asked. Elise looked out the window and saw smoke in the distance.

"There" She said. "That smoke is coming from Mobius. The masked man you found is terrorizing the city and soon he'll be taking over the world. We'll meet Sonic and the others in the town and we'll find Exe together" She reached out her hand to Mephiles. Mephiles got her hand and got up.

"Let's go find Exe" Mephiles said. "But first I need to check on the baby" They went to the baby room and saw Samara playing inside her crib

Mephiles picked up the baby and hugged her.

"Hi sweetheart" Mephiles said. "We're gonna go save your dad"

"You seriously gonna take her with us?" Elise said. Mephiles summoned a backpack and started packing baby essentials. Diapers, bottles, you name it.

"I can't risk leaving her here in the castle" Mephiles said. "What if they attack here and the guardians can't save her? I don't wanna lose anyone else" Elise just nodded.

"I'll call Sonic so he knows that we're coming. We need all the help we need to find Exe" Elise said dialing a number. Mephiles hugged his daughter, sobbing a little. As of now, Samara was the only family he had left. He wished that they find Exe soon so things can go back to normal. He can't bear losing both of them.

"We'll find you Exe" Mephiles said to the sky.


	2. The Jail

Exe woke up to find himself in chains. They room he's in is dark all over. A bright light shone down on him. He tried to pull at the chains in an attempt to free himself.

"No… no no no" Exe said pulling at the chains. He was having a flashback of when he had to choose between Mephiles or his past.

"I don't want to choose again. No. I want to go home. I wanna see my daughter. Someone, anyone, help me" Exe said pulling on his chains until his wrists hurt. It's no use. He couldn't break free. He was left alone to die. Exe suddenly heard footsteps approaching. He froze.

"So I finally found you" A voice said. It was the masked man from earlier. He walked closer to Exe.

"What do you want from me?" Exe said. Infinite ran his hand through Exe' face.

"I want to see you suffer" Infinite said. He snapped his fingers and a few colors creatures appears. Wisps.

"LIGHTING!" A voice shouted. A swarm of lighting struck the chains, electrocuting Exe. Exe screamed in pain as the shock filled his body. Exe fell forward after the lighting stopped.

"I've been waiting so long for this day Sonic" Infinite said. "I can't wait to make you suffer in the worst way possible"

"You're crazy. I'm… not… … " Exe said. He struggled a bit at speaking since he got shocked just a second ago.

"No need for words Sonic" Infinite said. "Don't make this anymore enjoyable. Now then"

"LIGHTING!"

Meanwhile at the resistance base, the sonic cast and Elise and Mephiles were discussing about the war going on.

"So he thought that Exe was me and captured him?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah. He said something among the line of you can't run from me and come face me. Then he disappeared" Mephiles said. He sighed a little. "I wish he was still here. Then I wouldn't be so worried"

"Don't worry your majesty" Knuckles said. "We'll do whatever we can to save your husband and stop Infinite once and for all"

"Why did he attack us in the first place?" Elise asked.

"He wanted revenge after being defeated by Sonic. Unfortunately the Phantom Ruby teleported him to Soleanna, where he captured Exe thinking it was Sonic" Knuckles said.

"Lord Exe and I look nothing alike" Sonic said. "I should be the one you guys are looking for, not him"

Everyone stopped what they were doing at started Sonic, who now looked very hurt. He turned away, back against everyone.

"Sonic was captured by Infinite a year ago and was brutally tortured. He hasn't recovered from it ever since" Knuckles said. "You could say it's a bad case of survivor's guilt"

"If he did that to Sonic, imagine what he'll do to Exe" Mephiles said suddenly more worried. He began shaking violently "I don't want that to happen with my husband. I want him to be okay. So we could go home and live for all eternity with our daughter." He started to cry again. Elise put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Mephiles" Elise said. "We'll find him before Infinite lays a finger on him" She turned to Knuckles.

"Any luck?" She said. Knuckles presses a few buttons on the computer.

"There appears to be a signal inside an unknown prison. That must be where Infinite has Exe captive at. And the last remaining piece of the Phantom Ruby" Knuckles said. Everyone gasped. Sonic stood up.

"Guess we better go pay him a visit" Sonic said. Mephiles reached out his hand.

"No, you stay here" Mephiles said. "This is our fight, not yours"

"But this is Infinite we're talking about" Sonic said. "I'm the one he's looking for. And besides, he'll destroy you guys-"

"I SAID STAY HERE!" Mephiles yelled, silencing the room. "That's an order from the Lord of Soleanna" Sonic crossed his arms.

"Fine" Sonic said. He ran off somewhere, a door can be heard being slammed shut.

"I'll go talk to him" Amy said running after him. Elise turned to Knuckles.

"Me and Mephiles will head to the prison. If we need help, I'll make you to call you guys" She told him.

"Thank you your majesty. We'll be ready when you need us" Knuckles said. Mephiles walked over to his daughter, who was playing with Tails and Shadow.

"Be a good girl while we're out okay?" Mephiles said.

"Bye bye" Samara babbles. Tails awed and Shadow just groaned. Mephiles and Elise walked out the base and into town, on their way to save Exe.


	3. I can't hurt you

Exe's screams filled the air as he kept getting electrocuted. Infinite was clearing enjoying this because he kept a stern look at Exe.

"Now you know to never underestimate me. I am your God. And none of your friends can save you" Infinite said.

"Leave him alone!" A voice suddenly said. Infinite was suddenly struck by a spin dash. It was Sonic, here to save Exe.

"What the heck" Infinite said. he looked up and saw the two Sonics.

"What?!" Infinite said. "If you're Sonic, then who was i-" He turned and saw Exe lying down as his body was tired for all the shocking, the chains had broken off at this point and he was on the ground, weak.

Infinite felt his vision go blurry as he gazed at Exe. The way he looked there, looked too familiar. A faint memory of someone laying down in that same position played in his head.

"... What have I done?" A voice in his memory said.

Infinite snapped back to reality and saw Sonic running at him. He dodged.

"Why must you ruin the fun for me?" Infinite said.

"Fun? You tortured this man half to death thinking it was me" Sonic said.

"Accidents happen. Just ask your parents" Infinite said. Sonic got mad and used a homing attack on Infinite. Exe was breathing heavily as he laid on the ground watching the two fight.

"Mephiles…." Exe muttered. "Mephiles… I want to see him…"

"Don't worry my Lord. I'll finish this masked singer and then I'll take you back to your-"

Sonic was kicked in the back by Infinite, flying across the room and hitting the wall. Exe couldn't gasp due to being close to death. Sonic laid unconscious, knocked out cold from the attack. Exe coughed and sputtered as he tried to speak.

"Sonic… " He muttered. He climbed up from the floor but fell down due to being too weak. Exe has never felt this weak. Infinite slowly approached Exe. Exe whimpered.

"Don't fret. It appears I have made a mistake. You are far too weak to carry on" Infinite said. "Please. Let me help you"

"Why… ." Exe muttered

"Because you are the wrong person. Sonic is gone now and your friends don't know where you are. I can heal you and send you home. Just trust me" Infinite said. Exe slightly nodded.

"Okay…"

Infinite scooped up Exe. He can feel his weakness in his arms. They disappeared again, leaving Sonic behind.

Elise and Mephiles ran into the room, ready to fight Infinite. They gasped when they saw that Exe was gone and Sonic was unconscious.

"We're too late!" Mephiles said. Elise runned to Sonic.

"He's out cold" Elise said. She dialed a number and Mephiles stared at the wall. He was freaking out because Infinite ran off with his husband again. Why did he take him and not Sonic?

"We need assistance. It's Sonic!" Elise said on the phone.

"Sonic? What's he doing there?" Knuckles said on the other end.

"I guess he tried to stop Infinite but he knocked him out and ran off with Exe" Elise said.

"We'll be right there. Stay where you are" Knuckles said. Elise hung and went to console Mephiles, who was now rocking himself on the floor.

"Hey Mephiles, it's gonna be okay" Elise said.

"He ran off again Elise. What am I gonna do now? We don't know where he is now. He could be dead. Or hurt. And I'm not there with him" Mephiles said. "It should've been me. It should've been me. . " He kept saying it over and over, his voice getting more shaky. Elise gave him a hug. They heard the resistance rush inside the room.

"Sonic!" Tails yelled. He handed Samara to Amy and ran to his unconscious best friend.

"I can't lose you again. I just can't" Tails said, trying to shake Sonic again. Knuckles ordered two mobians to take care of Sonic. He walked to Elise and Mephiles.

"Do you guys know what happened?" He asked. Elise looked up.

"We don't know. We ran in after infinite escape and Sonic was knocked out. He disappeared with Exe somewhere. We don't know where. But we have to find him before something happens to him. Mephiles can't bear losing his husband. He loved him a whole. I should know, I was the priest at their wedding. I still remember his vows to this day" Elise told Knuckles. Knuckles just nodded and wiped his eyes.

"We'll look for him. I promise. Let's just head back to base in the meantime" Knuckles said. Elise nodded and stood up, Mephiles standing up as well. The two mobians from earlier carried Sonic on a stretcher into a truck. Tails was following them, crying. Amy handed Samara to Mephiles, which he promptly hugged.

"Hi sweetheart" Mephiles told his baby girl. "I'm so sorry. We couldn't find your father. But I won't stop until we find him. And then we'll go home and be a family again." He kissed his daughter on the forehead and followed the resistance back to their base, where they'll continue to search for Exe and Infinite


	4. A grave mistake

Exe woke up covered in a blanket on an old mattress. He looked up and saw he was inside a shack. It was a little beaten up but it was decent. Is this where Infinite took him? But why? He tried to kill him earlier. Why was he suddenly acting so nice to him?

Exe saw Infinite turning away from him, he seemed to be making something, Exe wondered what it was. Infinite turned to Exe, holding a mug with steam coming out for it.

"This was all the phantom ruby would allow me to make" Infinite said. He handed Exe the mug. Exe looked down at the mug. Hot chocolate, with 3 marshmallows.

"Uh…Thanks," Exe said. He took a small sip but still ended up burning his tongue.

"Careful. It's hot" Infinite said.

"Why are you giving this to me? Why did you bring me here? Why are you helping me all of a sudden? You tried to kill me a few moments ago" Exe said. Infinite said.

"I have made a grave mistake" Infinite said. "I was trying to kill Sonic. He caused all this. He ruined my plans. But my phantom ruby sent me to you instead. I don't blame it, you and Sonic look alike"

Exe chuckled nervously. He knew that he and Sonic looked similar but he never thought it would almost get himself killed.

"I brought you here because I knew they would see you in bad condition and they would kill me. I had to heal you so it doesn't look like I tortured you on purpose" Infinite said. "This shack used to be where I lived, when I was a boy"

"Really?" Exe said.

"Yep. I was an only child. My dad was an alcoholic and my mom was doing her best to raise me. Then one day… " Infinite suddenly stopped. He looked away so Exe doesn't see the tears coming out of his mask.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Exe said placing the mug down.

"Dad came back from drinking one night. And he hurt my mom. I snapped. And I killed him"

Exe gasped.

"What have I done?" Infinite said in a flashback. His mom screamed in horror at the sight in front of her. Her husband was dead and her son was covered in blood.

"I was separated from my mom shortly after" Infinite said as the flash back ended. "The way you laid there weak, reminded me too much of that night. I had to save you. I don't want to live that trauma of killing someone again. My dad was a terrible person. But why do I feel so guilty about saving my mom's life?" Infinite said. "I don't even know you and I still did what I did"

"Maybe it's the phantom ruby playing with your emotions" Exe said pointing to the ruby attached to his chest.

"With that kind of power, you're bound to go crazy someday" Exe said. "What did Sonic do to you that makes you want to kill him so bad?"

"I was sent by Dr Eggman to kill him. He said that Sonic's the reason why I got separated from my mom. And he's the reason I lost my only friends, the Jackal Squad" Infinite said.

"Well it sounds like Eggman is using you for your powers" Exe said.

"I figured that out years ago. Now I'm on my own, determined to get rid of him myself" Infinite said.

"But killing Sonic won't bring your friends or your mom back" Exe said. "It's just killing for the sake of killing. If you actually did kill me, my husband would be devastated. He would have to raise our daughter on his own. And he'd forever live with the feeling that he couldn't save me in time."

"You have a family?" Infinite asked surprised.

"Yes. I have a wonderful husband, an adorable baby daughter, and a best friend that I consider as a sister in law" Exe said. "We had just got done fighting the tails doll a week ago. Then you showed up and kidnapped me" Infinite suddenly felt really bad. He tore up another family apart. He didn't want to do that. He just wanted to kill Sonic for no clear motive at this point.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't want to split you up with your family, honestly. That means they already contacted the resistance. Oh no" Infinite suddenly stood up.

"They're coming for me!"

Meanwhile at the resistance headquarters, the team was hard at work trying to find Infinite and Exe. Knuckles walked to Elise and Mephiles.

"Any luck?" Mephiles asked.

"We've detected a signal from a shack near the end of town. We assume it's him and Exe." Knuckles said.

"Really? That must be him!" Mephiles said. "We have to go there!"

"Can't. It's too dangerous" Knuckles said. "We need another way to rescue-"

"TOO DANGEROUS?!" Mephiles suddenly yelled. "You went up with this guy before. Why can't you now? He has my husband! You have to kill Infinite and save my husband. WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITHOUT HIM?"

"My Lord please calm down" Knuckles said.

"No. If you won't risk your life to save my husband, then I will '' Mephiles said. "Come on Elise, we have a hedgehog to save and a jackal to kill" He grabs Elise by the hand and they both disappeared.

"He's gonna get himself killed!" Knuckles said. He turned to the rest of the gang.

"We have to go stop them!"


	5. Helping Infinite

Exe was tidying up the place a little as Infinite was having a breakdown.

"They won't believe me if I told them the truth. I tortured you and all those other people. They won't listen" Infinite said. Infinite was starting to sound a lot like Exe. It made him nervous.

"You need to calm down" Exe said. "They'll believe me if I tell them. They have to see that you're not the bad guy and you didn't plan of killing me. My husband has to have trust in me."

"And if it makes you feel any better, I used to do the same thing you do" Exe said. Infinite stood up.

"What do you mean?" Infinite said.

"I was raised by a demon overlord known as Zalgo" Exe said. "He taught me how to become a killer. I always admired Sonic to the point I made my appearance like his. Then I began capturing and torturing all his friends. One day I was punished after a victim escaped and was sent to Soleanna. That's when I met Mephiles and he offered to help me. We fell in love with each other. One day, I was shot in the head by Shadow the Hedgehog. Then I was sent back to Zalgo and was forced to go back to my world and leave behind my boyfriend. Then I became a rebel, released all my victims and put an end to Zalgo once and for all. Then I came back to Soleanna and married my boyfriend. We have a beautiful daughter now" Exe sighed after mentioning his daughter. "I miss her so much. She's only a month old. She has the cutest smile ever. And when she laughs, it makes me forget how stressful my life is. I'm doing my best at my job as a manager to support my family and make sure my little Samara grows up healthy"

"I'm sorry again from separating you from your family" Infinite said. "I've done that enough already. Uh Exe? Do you think that I can change? That if I tried hard enough, I can put this all behind me and be good?"

"Why do you ask that?" Exe asked.

"Listening to you had inspired me. You turned your whole life around despite all you've done. And now you're doing much better. Better than me anyways" Infinite said arms crossed. Exe gave him a hug.

"You can start by using that ruby to fix things up" Exe said. "Then from there you can-"

The walls were suddenly blown up, Exe and Infinite were blown away. When the dust settled, Elise and Mephiles stood near the hole in the wall.

"You could've just kicked down the door" Elise said.

"This is much more dramatic, trust me" Mephiles said. Infinite and Exe got up. Mephiles drew his weapon.

"You!" Mephiles said. "Unhand my husband this instance!"

"I'm not even holding him" Infinite said.

"What are you doing?" Exe asked.

"I'm saving you from this mad man. He kidnapped you and probably tortured you. You're lucky I came here to save you before he could kill you"

"I had no intention of killing him" Infinite said.

"Then why did you kidnap him and torture him?" Mephiles said.

"Because he looked like someone else" Infinite said.

"Mephiles you have to believe him" Exe said.

"You manipulated my husband into taking your side. How dare you!" Mephiles said. He slashed his weapon. Infinite and Exe ducked. Exe was a little too late and got a blade to the cheek. Exe winced in pain.

"Are you okay?" Infinite said going to Exe. Mephiles punched him.

"Get your hands off him!" Mephiles said. Mephiles went to comfort Exe.

"I'm sorry my darling" Mephiles said. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Let's get outta here"

"No, I can't leave him here" Exe said. "The resistance will come and kill him"

"What are you talking about my love? He hurt you. He deserves what's coming to him"

"He thought I was Sonic" Exe said. "He healed me after the torturing then apologized profusely. He's been through a lot. He lost his parents. He lost his friends. He got beaten up by Shadow and was called weak. But he's not weak. He's generally a good person who is driven by anger. Like me"

Mephiles looked shocked. Exe held his husband's face with one hand.

"You have to believe me, my love"

Mephiles felt like he had no choice but to believe his husband.

"I believe you… " Mephiles said. He turned to Infinite. "How are we gonna get him outta here?"

"He wants to fix things first. Let's get him to the center of town so he can use the phantom ruby to repair the town and call off the army" Exe said. Infinite got up, looking shocked.

"You're gonna help me" Infinite said.

"It's the best I can do" Exe said. "Now let's get a move on"


	6. Fix the World

The 4 were walking to the center of the destroyed city so Infinite can undo all the damage, chatting along the way.

"Your daughter is very cute" Infinite said pointing to Samara being held by Mephiles. Samara was asleep in her dad's arms, probably dreaming of unicorns.

"She's only a month old. Her cuteness comes from her dad" Mephiles said looking at Exe.

"Yeah she gets it from you darling" Exe said. Mephiles blushed a little at Exe's comment. Infinite laughed.

Once they were at the center, Infinite held up the phantom ruby, embracing its power. The rubble around them began to assemble itself.

"It's working" Exe said.

Infinite looked up in victory as the city began to rebuild itself with the phantom ruby. Using his powers for good was a great feeling. He was willing to have this feeling more often.

Suddenly, Infinite was tackled by Knuckles, the phantom ruby falling out of his hands and sliding towards Exe.

"You are under arrest Infinite" Knuckles said. He held his hands back as the resistance swarmed the 4.

"Lord X, can you hand me that phantom ruby so we can destroy it and then eliminate Infinite?" Knuckles said. Exe looked around for a second. He didn't want to give the ruby to Knuckles because then they'd kill Infinite but at the same time, he didn't want to keep the ruby. What to do.

"Come on My Lord. Just hand over the ruby and we'll settle things from there" Knuckles said holding Infinite down by his legs. Some of the resistance had guns drawn at Infinite, which they'll shoot once Exe hands over the ruby.

"No… " Exe said quietly. Mephiles and Elise gasped.

"What?" Knuckles asked.

"I SAID NO" Exe said. He grabs the phantom ruby and makes a run for it.

"After him!" Knuckles orders. Some of the resistance chases after Exe while everyone else stays with Infinite.

"We have to save them" Mephiles says. Elise nods. Mephiles runs off to save Exe while Elise stays behind and fights off the resistance members that have Infinite hostage.

Exe ran until he reached a dead end. He turned and saw Knuckles and some of the resistance cornering him.

"Hand over the ruby My Lord" Knuckles said. Exe clutches it close to his chest.

"No. Infinite needs to fix this mess" Exe said.

"Infinite is gonna use the phantom ruby to destroy the world. Just hand it over" Knuckles said.

"Infinite isn't going to destroy the world. He wants to fix it. He's been through a lot in his life and how just wants to make things right"

"Then why did he destroy the city and capture Sonic?"

"The phantom ruby corrupted him" Exe said. "He didn't want this. He wanted to see his friends again. But with a gem like this, there's no telling what it will turn you into. And if you won't let him do it…." He turns to Mephiles who is running towards him.

"Then I will"

He raises the phantom ruby and the power of the ruby, along with Exe's powers, began to fuse together. A big explosion was made and everyone around them were blown away.

Elise saw the explosion from where she was fighting.

"EXE" She shouted. The shockwave from the explosion swarmed into the entire city, blowing away people and a few buildings. Elise felt herself hit the wall of a building as she flew, knocking her out cold.

When she awakened, she saw that the dark clouds that swarmed the city were gone. The rubble had perished and people were chatting and walking around like if nothing happened.

Her vision cleared up and she saw Mephiles, Exe and Infinite at the center of the town. She got up and ran to the three. Exe was unconscious and Mephiles was holding him in his arms. Infinite was holding Samara.

"Exe you have to wake up. Please. I can't lose you again" Mephiles said to Exe. No response. Elise gasped. She knelt down with the three.

"He gave up his life… to save me… I'll never forget him… " Infinite said, tears streaming down his face. Elise could only hold the two boys as they grieved the loss of their friend.

Exe suddenly coughed. Everyone looked up from their mourning and saw Exe slowly opening his eyes.

"Exe!" The 3 said. Exe opened his eyes fully and saw the 4 sitting around him.

"Hey guys…" Exe said weakly. "Did we do it?"

"Yes, my love. You saved the world. Again" Mephiles said.

"And you've helped me realize that life can be revised" Infinite said. "And you'll all be there to help me, right?"

"Of course we will," Exe said. "We'll do anything for our friends" Infinite smiled. Samara made a small noise and began to struggle.

"Huh? What do you want?" Infinite said. She struggled a lot as if she wanted to be put down, making little noise as if she was trying to say something.

"P… p… p… " She said. The 4 were focused on the baby as she tried to speak.

"Papa!" She squeaked. The 4 were in shock.

"Papa?" Exe asked. He felt his heart race as she said her first word. (Bye bye doesn't count).

"Papa!" She said again. Infinite handed Samara to Exe. Mephiles smiled as his husband held their daughter.

"She said papa my love" Exe said in joy. Samara giggled and smiled as she was happy to see her dad alive and well.

"What about dada?" Mephiles asked. Exe giggled.

"Papa!" Samara said again. Exe felt like he could cry right now. Elise smiled. Infinite felt his heart race as he saw the queen smile.

"Nice Smile" Infinite said. Elise chuckled at his comment. The 5 of them were as happy as ever. With a new member of their family, they could finally go home and be a family, like they always were.

Knuckles approached the 5, they all looked up. Exe drew his weapon.

"Don't hurt him!" Exe shouted.

"Whoa hang on I'm not here to interrupt this moment" Knuckles said. "I just wanted to thank you for fixing his mess. He'll be going home with you guys, right?" Exe nodded.

"Well keep an eye on him okay? you'll never know when he'll go power hungry again"

"Well he won't be the king anytime soon" Elise jokes. The 4 of them laughed, Infinite didn't get it.


	7. Epilogue

The townspeople were gathered around the center of town as The Royal Family were at the center of the tower. They had all dressed formally for this event. Infinite was facing the 3.

"Infinite, all of us are thankful for what you've done for this family. You fixed the mistakes you caused. You turned yourself around and became our best friend. And we welcome you to our family with open arms' ' Elise spoke. Infinite knelt down. Elise pulled out a sword and placed the tip on top of his shoulders.

" I dub thee" Elise said as he moved the sword from one shoulder to the other "Sir Infinite, Knight of Soleanna" The townspeople cheered. Infinite looked up at them.

"Thank you, your majesty. I swear, as long as I live, I'll serve this country and protect you all at all costs. I'm willing to die for this country" Infinite said.

"No need to get all dramatic" Mephiles said. Elise and Exe laughed. Infinite stood up and retrieved the sword from Elise. He held it up with pride as he embraced his new role as a knight. Exe walked up to Infinite.

"You know, it's gonna be lonely with just you serving us right?" Exe said. "Which is why I got you something" He points to the the boat parking in front of them. It was a group of jackals, there were 3 boys and one girl, all in formal wear. They all stopped when they saw Infinite.

"Boss?" One of them spoke. Infinite dropped his sword, his mask falling off as well.

Infinite began to cry as he saw the sight before them. He turned to Exe.

"How did you…." Infinite began. Exe smiled.

"The resistance had them captured. I convinced Knuckles to release them and I took them here. They're all Knights of Soleanna, like you" Exe said. Infinite hugged Exe.

" Thank you…" Infinite said.

"You've done so much for me, I figured I should return the favor somehow" Exe said. Infinite rushed to his squad, hugging them all. Exe smiled.

For the rest of their years, Elise would be Queen, Exe and Mephiles would be Lords raising their Princess, and Infinite and his crew were Knights, defending their country from danger. They were all a big family and nothing ever came between them since. If Exe had not given up his past, none of this would be possible.


End file.
